In the […], (Last Updated On: May 26, 2020) Does Anything Rhyme With Orange? 11 Cheap Halloween Costumes with Zero Effort, New Badges: Cast Away, BadgeoZebra, and A Thing of the Past. The French also took this word from the Italians. What’s the Difference Between a Street, Road, and Avenue? And More Questions From Our Readers. A Complete List of Official Disney Princesses, Sporcle Live Spotlight: Local Thyme Restaurant and Bar, Sporcle Live Spotlight: St. Joseph Brewery, Trivia for Team Building | Part Two: The Value of Repetition. But it’s still an interesting word story! They were called that way because the Italian army was supposedly so well coordinated that it resembled a building’s columns: And then came the French. The development or evolution of a word over time can also play a part in how we say it. The Sporcle Guide on How to Disable Your Ad Blocker, 24 of the Best Sites to Kill Time On the Internet. If you like what you read, then you will definitely love this one: Our website uses cookies to improve your browsing experience. With exceptions to almost every grammar rule and confounding phrases, English is indeed a pain in the neck for every non-native speaker trying to understand the pronunciation of certain words. The French would even alter their pronunciation. For example, words such as “circle,” “sir,” “certainly” and “surprise” all sound as if they begin with the same letters. Over time, the French word coronel made its way over to Britain. It comes from the Italian word ‘colonnello.’ This is the position given to the officer responsible for a small force or column of soldiers. Whatever the context, someone has probably gone and told you that nothing rhymes with “orange.” Of course, everyone is going […]. So, how did “colonel” and “coronel” became “kernel”? The English accent further transformed the word, overshadowing the second ‘o’, and emphasizing the ‘r’. The code has been copied to your clipboard. It occurs when two instances of the same sound occur close to each other in a word, and people change one of the instances to something else. Photo: Tyndall Air Force Base In this case, the first ‘l’ was changed to ‘r’. But they don’t. So, why do Americans say colonel as if it is spelled k-e-r-n-e-l? 3 Capital Cities? Despite having no ‘r’ in the word, in English, it is pronounced just like ‘kernel’. By continuing to navigate the site, you agree to the use of cookies. Just ask any student who has ever competed in a spelling bee. Interestingly, by the late 16th century, English scholars began translating old Italian treatises and found out that the word was actually “colonel” and not “coronel”. “Colonel” is pronounced just like “kernel.” How did this happen? In linguistics, this process is called dissemination. In English, a combination won out. In the late 15th century the word was adopted by the French, who translated and converted it to “coronel”. There are also many rules, and conversely, many exceptions to them. And that is why we even today, pronounce the word “colonel” as “kernel”. Colonel is spelled c-o-l-o-n-e-l. At the same time, the Spanish were also pronouncing c-o-l-o-n-e-l as k-e-r-n-e-l. So, why do Americans say colonel as if it is spelled k-e-r-n-e-l? Another notable example is of course, the word “Colonel” which is pronounced “Kernel”. Eventually this was corrupted to ker-nel, still not bad considering we’re talking about the British, who … It is a language full of contradictions. The Italian word colonnello was not forgetten though. Hence, despite replacing the official spelling, they kept pronouncing the word in the old way – “kernel”. That's all for this Words and Their Stories. Advertisements fund this website. The word ‘colonel’ first appeared in the 15th century and comes the Italian, And then came the French. In the United States, it can mean an officer in the Army, Air Force or Marine Corps. | Why Is ‘Colonel’ Pronounced ‘Ker’nel?’. And More Questions From Our Readers | Why Is ‘Colonel’ Pronounced ‘Kernel’? ‘I’ before ‘E’ except after ‘C’ – but what about ‘science’ or ‘weird’ or ‘seize’? So, why do Americans say colonel as if it is spelled k-e-r-n-e-l? We know that many languages borrow and even steal words from other languages. Homophones are words that have the same pronunciation but have a different meaning and spelling. In the 1500s, English borrowed a bunch of … Why is there no apple or pine in pineapple, or ham in hamburger? Well, because these things happen. He enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, and bemoaning the fact the Sonics left Seattle. Join us again next week when we talk about more words and expressions in American English. While they reverted to the same spelling as the French, they kept their pronunciation with the ‘r’ sound. Initially, the word was used as in France (“coronel”) but then it was bastardized with the English accent and ended up being pronounced as “kernel”. So, the word started as colonnello in Italian. This word in particular is quite peculiar and follows no rules: how on Earth, can a word that clearly has two “O’s” and two “L’s” be pronounced as “Kernel”? The English word colonel stems from the Italian word colonnello, which was first used around the 15th century, during the Italian Renaissance. It’s not really any secret – English can be a tough, strange language at times. This makes sense, considering the strained (and often extremely intense) relationship between the two countries. The original spelling of the word began to influence how the word was spelled in both Britain and France. It is possible that both the French and the Spanish pronunciation affected the English version of the word. Photoshop: I’m A Useless Info Junkie Take all those anarchic spellings and silent letters for example: I mean, why there’s a “D” in the word “Fridge” but not in the “Refrigerator”? In fact, in linguistics, there’s a name for this procedure – it’s called dissemination and it’s the exact same reason (just the opposite process) the Latin word “Peregrinus” became “Pilgrim” in English (“R” was substituted with “L”). Language experts say this is because the French wanted to have the "r" sound in the word, instead of the two "l" sounds. You’ve heard it before. They even made the pronunciation of the word “Pronunciation” confusing – “Pronounce” has an “O” which is absent from “Pronunciation”. How does this even happen? Over time, the French word coronel made its way over to Britain. But, let's get back to "colonel"... the c-o-l-o-n-e-l one. In fact, both origin and evolution are involved in the pronunciation of the word “colonel.”. In addition to country of origin, there is something else at play in the word history of "colonel": written versus spoken language. From the very beginning, when this word came into English in the 1500s, there were two versions of spelling and two pronunciations. Colonel comes from Old Italian colonello, commander of a column of troops, which in turn derives from colonna, column. I’ before ‘E’ except after ‘C’ – but what about ‘science’ or ‘weird’ or ‘seize’? It most commonly derives from the Frisian […], (Last Updated On: June 1, 2018)To, too, and two are homophones and have been known to cause English speakers confusion. The British weren’t so eager to switch though. Interestingly, by the late 16th century, English scholars began translating old Italian treatises and found out that the word wa… (AP Photo). Welcome to Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. Colonel is spelled c-o-l-o-n-e-l. Eventually, France would switch from their coronel spelling back to ‘colonel’, which was more in line with the original Italian word. Where Did the Phrase “Caught Red Handed” Come From? The word eventually came to be pronounced similar to ‘kernel’ in Britain. Vote #2, Daniel Ross: answer to Why is “colonel” pronounced like “kernel” when there is no R in the word? Well, we decided to look into it and here’s the reason. Another notable example is of course, the word “Colonel” which is pronounced “Kernel”. Due to this evolution, the French replaced the “R” and their word was switched back to the original “colonel”. In fact, in linguistics, there’s a name for this procedure – it’s called. Why is there no apple or pine in pineapple, or ham in hamburger? very old : having existed for a very long time, pronounce – v. to make the sound of (a word or letter) with your voice : pronunciation – n. the way in which a word or name is pronounced, contestant – n. a person who takes part in a contest, column – n. a long row of people or things — often + of : a column of troops/cars, versus – prep. So, many Italian war terms spread across Europe, including the word "colonel." What Is the Real Meaning Behind ‘Ring Around the Rosie’? Please let me apologize from the bottom of my heart for our crazy and sometimes confusing English pronunciations! The English language is probably the biggest thief of them all! Well, perhaps not. A colonel is a military official. Sources: colonel (n.) | Why Is Colonel Pronounced With an R? Today we focus more on history than usage. A bandage is wound around a wound. Eventually, colonnello was adopted by the French. It is a language full of contradictions. Will you please give me the language of origin? Their rebellious spirit lived on, and today English speakers pronounce ‘colonel’ as ‘kernel’. Colonel is spelled c-o-l-o-n-e-l. This makes sense, considering the strained (and often extremely intense) relationship between the two countries. Why is colonel pronounced kernel? Adding to the confusion is that "kernel" is a word of its own and one that has several meanings. The English word colonel stems from the Italian word, Eventually, France would switch from their.

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